A centenary provides us with the opportunity to pause; and remember. This year marks 100 years since the beginning of the First World War, a conflict that altered the lives of all who lived through it. Although many veterans are no longer with us, we would like to take this opportunity to honour their memory as well as the memory of those who have served in later conflicts; from the Second World War to the present day.
Extreme events often seem to call out extraordinary qualities in people. The men and women who lived through these times exhibited amazing ingenuity, creativity and resilience that is still inspiring today. Both on the battlefield and at home, they used the skills and resources they had to survive their world being turned upside down.
When I began researching for this article I hoped to find out about knitting in wartime, but I found myself being drawn into a much larger story. As I listened to memories and family stories from our knitters I realised that knitting is about more than just technique, material or pattern; it is about people! Each piece of knitting has a history imparted to it before reaching a new owner and continuing its journey.
I hope to share with you some stories I have been told by the people who were there at the beginning. We do not know where many of their creations ended up, but each scarf, jumper or balaclava began in a kitchen, classroom or village hall with hands young and old holding the needles.
It is a privilege for ERIBÉ to work with such inspiring people, who add something of their experiences to every piece they knit. We hope you enjoy hearing some of their memories of knitting in wartime .
During wartime many of those at home wanted to do all they could to aid the war effort, and one of the ways they were encouraged to help was by knitting ‘comforts’ for the troops. During the Second World War the Red Cross and other voluntary organisations produced knitting patterns and coordinated the nations stocks of camouflage coloured yarns.
Images: Schoolchildren knitting and a knitting size guide from WWII, a Punch Magazine cartoon from WWI.
When Mrs Margaret Craik was a girl during WWII, her father was posted in the Air Raid Precautions Headquarters next to her school. She remembers going to visit him at lunch time:
“He and the other men used to knit – what a comical sight some of them were – one was concentrating so hard his knitting ended up between his knees and another used to keep going until he couldn’t go any higher!”
Mrs Valerie Hamilton was born 1939, and grew up in a household of women as all the men were at war.
Image: Valerie Hamilton as a little girl between her parents.
She remembers watching her great Gran, Gran and mother all sitting knitting. When she was about three she asked “could I knit?” So Mum got her needles and yarn and was about to show her how to cast on when she said “I can do that myself! I was watching!” That was it, she has been knitting ever since.
She made scarves for the sailors, soldiers and airmen during the War. She thinks her first attempts were a bit squiggly to begin with but hopefully still kept them warm! Everyone took their knitting into the local school, the school packed it up and then someone posted it all off to the troops.
Miss Liza Lorimer was born in 1935 and her father had served in WWI.
She remembers being taught to knit socks as part of an initiative at school. She took the first sock home and mother showed her how to turn the heel, but the second one she had to do in school and couldn’t remember how to do it. As a result the socks didn’t match and she “got a telling off from the teacher for making a midden of it!”
Mrs Kirsteen Ballantine’s passion for knitting also began in wartime:
“In September 1939, as World War II began, my Granny and I were evacuated to a small country town where we went to stay with Granny's old friend. These two elderly ladies must have wondered how to keep a five-year-old entertained, so they taught me to knit. Everyone was knitting scarves, gloves, pullovers etc to keep the armed forces warm, and the first article I knitted was a pair of wrist-warmers in khaki wool - a square of K1 P1 rib, sewn up one side. I was hooked on knitting from that moment on, and seventy-five years later I am still knitting!”
Rationing during wartime made keeping a family clothed and fed a daily challenge. ‘Make do and mend’ encouraged people to come up with ever more ingenious methods of using the resources at their fingertips; a re-envisioning of waste and ‘upcycling’ we could all learn from.
Mrs Maureen Mackie spent her childhood in Glasgow during WWII, and her father served as a fireman throughout the Blitz. She remembers her mother knitting all the socks for the firemen as well as balaclavas to protect their faces from sparks and burning debris. There were few goods being imported at that time, so it was hard to find presents to give to children at Christmas. Mrs Mackie remembers the firemen filling their time between call outs by crafting wooden toys to give to their families. She was given a little wooden scooter with the footrest made out of part of a hot water-bottle, and her sister got a little wooden horse in her stocking. She recognised the saddle blanket on its back as a scrap taken from her old jumper and cried; “How did Santa get that?”
Mrs Aitken was born 1937, one of six children in the family who all knitted. She remembers her brother knitting sweaters from rug wool, and it was her dad who taught her to knit. He believed they should all learn to crochet, embroider and knit, all from a very young age. He would always say; “No, you can do it!” She recounts how they always recycled in those days; “You had to use what was there”. The knitting needles she used as a girl were made from long matches sharpened to a point!
Because of yarn shortages knitted garments often went through many different incarnations during their lifetime. Mrs Muriel Anderson described how her mother would unravel her father’s holey jumpers to re-use the yarn. The recovered wool was all wrinkled, so was wrapped round the arms of a chair and dipped in water. As it dried the weight of the water would straighten the fibres out. It could then be used to knit a sleeveless pullover, and when that was worn through her mother would unravel it again and turn it into a sweater for one of the children. When that had finally worn out she could use the remaining wool to a knit hat or pair of mitts!
I have heard so many wonderful stories of humour, creativity and perseverance in the face of real hardship and heartbreak - there is not enough room to share all of them with you. However I hope that this short piece has given you a snapshot into these turbulent moments in our history and allowed you to hear from some of the amazing people who lived -and knitted!- in that time.